How to Celebrate 4th of July in Chicago This YearAudrey Snyderon June 22, 2020 at 4:43 pm

Table of Contents

Usually, the 4th of July is a great opportunity for us to get together and hang with our friends and family — it’s the middle of the summer, it’s a national holiday, and Chicagoans know how to maximize our limited warm weather. We will hopefully reach Phase 4 of reopening the city in July, but things are still a bit different this year; starting June 26, our gatherings can increase to 50 people, but Chicago beaches will still be closed and Navy Pier won’t be doing their regular fireworks show. Luckily, Chicago has more great summer hang spots beside the lakefront, and more things to do than just lying on the sand in the sun. Check out these options for getting together with your friends and celebrating 4th of July this year.

View the Best Global Eateries in Chicago

Want a little more than a taste of ‘Murica? View our list of the top 16 best restaurants in the city to eat around the world.

View the Best Global Eateries in Chicago

Photo Credit: Uncommon Ground Edgewater Facebook Page

Eat Local

What’s a holiday without good food? This year, maybe leave the preparation to someone else. As part of Phase 4, restaurants and bars will be able to open for indoor dining, but you’ll wanna be outside anyway, right? Plenty of establishments are already open with patio seating. Uncommon Ground’s Lakeview location has a sidewalk café and is home to Greenstar Brewery, and the Edgewater location has an open beer garden! In Hyde Park, you can visit Chant’s patio, complete with great martinis and globally-inspired food. If you prefer to celebrate the 4th with tequila, you’ll find it at La Vaca in Pilsen, where the margaritas pair nicely with tacos, fajitas, and more.

Photo Credit: Chicago Park District Facebook Page

Go to the Park

It’s not the beach, but it’s still outside, and summer in Chicago is a pretty great time to be outside. All the parks in Chicago are open (lakefront parks are open as long as they are west of Lake Shore Drive), and are great places for eating a picnic, having a dog wedding, or playing catch— just wash your hands afterward.

Escape to the Dunes

If you’re hoping to escape the city for a little bit, visiting the Indiana Dunes is a great way to get back to nature without having to travel very far. While it’s best to check with restaurants and retailers ahead of time to find out the extent of services they’re currently providing, most trails and access points remain open in the state and national parks, with just a few key closures.

Get Into Greenery

For a small dose of plant life that doesn’t require you to leave the metro area, you have a couple of options. The Chicago Botanic Garden is gradually reopening in late June and requiring all visitors to preregister for a specific date and time in order to help maintain social distancing. Morton Arboretum, which is already open, is implementing similar timed-entry procedures.

Go Boating

Just because you can’t go to the beach doesn’t mean you have to socially distance yourself from the water! Urban Kayaks is open now for tours and rentals by reservation only— take a friend, rent two kayaks, and it’s basically a beach day without the sand. If you like watercraft but prefer something less physically demanding, consider going on the Chicago Architecture Foundation Center River Cruise. The cruise is tentatively resuming June 26, so with any luck, you’ll be out on that boat looking at all the historic Chicago buildings by early July. In the meantime, Chicago Electric Boat Company is already touring the River, so book your waterfront staycation today.

At UrbanMatter, U Matter. And we think this matters.

Tell us what you think matters in your neighborhood and what we should write about next in the comments below!

Featured Image Credit: Uncommon Ground Edgewater Facebook Page

What Are Our Favorite Chicago Sports Teams Doing This Summer?Drew Krieson June 22, 2020 at 2:29 pm

Table of Contents

Summer is here, and as the state of Illinois continues to move through its phases of reopening, many restaurants and bars across the city have opened back up for dining. And that’s not the only good news for the city of Chicago. Recently, the NBA and NHL announced their plans to continue their seasons. Pair that with the MLB’s current negotiations and the start of football season, and we’ll soon see our favorite Chicago sports teams playing again.

While we might not actually be able to attend games in-person, it’ll be a nice change as the sports world has been shut down since March. But what exactly are our favorite teams up to right now? We’ve got you covered with everything Chicago sports–related and the current timelines for the return of sports!

View this post on Instagram

Advertisement

Ready to rock. 🤘

A post shared by Chicago Bears (@chicagobears) on Jun 15, 2020 at 8:33am PDT

Advertisement

The Chicago Bears

Despite the virtual NFL draft that happened back April, the league is still on track to start as usual in the fall. As far as updates on the Chicago Bears for this summer, the team recently concluded its offseason training program earlier this month. Up next on their schedule is training camp, which typically begins late July. While no official statement has been made by the team, rookie tight end Cole Kmet said on a podcast that their camp starts on July 21. And hopefully, he’s right. It’s also unclear whether or not fans will be allowed to attend like usual, or where training camp is going to be held. But one thing is for sure, Chicago Bears football is coming! After training camp, the Bears’ first preseason game is scheduled for August 15 against the Cleveland Browns, and their season will begin in September.

View this post on Instagram

Advertisement

Like they never left!

A post shared by Chicago Blackhawks (@nhlblackhawks) on Jun 12, 2020 at 2:27pm PDT

Advertisement

The Chicago Blackhawks

Soon, the Chicago Blackhawks will be the first Chicago sports team to return with the return of the National Hockey League imminent. When the regular season suspended back on March 12, the team was sitting at the bottom of the Central Division standings in the West. Luckily for them, the league plans to return directly into the playoffs with 24 teams, and the Blackhawks will make the cut. Training camps across the NHL are scheduled to begin on July 10, which means we’ll likely see games at the end of the month or early August. Hopefully, our favorite hockey team can make a deep run in this year’s unusual postseason.

View this post on Instagram

Happy Father’s Day from your Bulls family ❤️

A post shared by Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) on Jun 21, 2020 at 6:34am PDT

The Chicago Bulls

Unfortunately for our Bulls, the team will not return to play when the NBA season resumes in Orlando next month. This year, the Chicago Bulls showed a lot of promise for the future with Zach LaVine tearing up opposing defenses for much of the season. Even rookie Coby White showed a lot of promise, and we’re lucky to have him in a Bulls uniform going forward. The team’s record of 22-43 saw them finish at the 11th spot in the Eastern Conference. Up next on the Bull’s schedule is the 2020 NBA draft. While it was originally planned for June, the league pushed the draft back to October 16. Fans will have to wait and see to hear what pick the team will have this year.

View this post on Instagram

😍

A post shared by Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) on Jun 20, 2020 at 7:16pm PDT

The Chicago Cubs & White Sox

Summer just isn’t the same without baseball, and things are twice as bad waiting for both Chicago ball clubs to return. As far as the MLB return goes, the league and player’s association have gone back and forth over the past couple weeks on returning to play. For the players, they’re concerned with health and safety, as well as how they will be compensated for the shorter season. The most updates to the situation are going to lead to one of two outcomes: a 60-game season proposed by the league, or if the players reject that, then MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred can implement his own schedule. Both sides have yet to reach an agreement, but hopefully, that will change soon. The city needs its baseball just as much as the rest of its other favorite Chicago sports teams!

At UrbanMatter, U Matter. And we think this matters.

Tell us what you think matters and what we should write about next in the comments below!

Featured Image Credit: Chicago Bears Instagram

Chicago Restaurants & Bars Can Open for Indoor Dining As Soon As June 26Kali Crameron June 21, 2020 at 4:07 pm

According to Governor J.B. Pritzker’s plan to reopen, Chicago is currently in Phase 3, which allows gatherings of 10 or fewer people and things like salons, barbershops, and retail stores to reopen with precautions. Chicago entered Phase 3 a little later than the rest of Illinois, but more or less on track with the original Restore Illinois plan. Now it’s just a question of whether or not Chicago can keep its infection rates low enough to enter Phase 4 by the end of June, which means bars and restaurants can open for indoor dining and gatherings of 50 people or more are allowed.

indoor dining chicago — Photo Credit: Monteverde Restaurant and Pastificio

The target date for implementing Phase 4 is June 26. Dr. Allison Arwady, head of the Chicago Department of Public Health, has hinted that the city could still hit that date if the numbers stay low. In addition to bars and restaurants opening up to indoor customers, Chicago gyms, zoos, and museums could also reopen with precautions and a limited number of guests.

Chicago restaurant reopening guidelines have shifted rapidly to adapt to the state’s reopening plan, as cases are far higher in Cook County than other regions of Illinois. Mayor Lori Lightfoot has been tasked with setting these guidelines, but her attention has been focused on the protests over police brutality since early June. Though the new precautions are not set in stone for June 26, you can expect the norm to include hand-washing, social distancing, and wearing masks.

Bars and restaurants are opening up all over Chicago right now, but only if they serve food and have space for outdoor dining. That left a lot of establishments at the mercy of their locations, so Lightfoot announced that six Chicago streets will be closed off to make way for improvised patio seating. Still, some bars are being left out of the conversation, especially if they only serve alcohol. With the reopening of the Chicago Riverwalk comes the return of The Northman cidery, which leaves room for even more brew-centric establishments to start serving patrons again.

Even though things are looking good so far, if the infection rate rises again, Chicago may revert back to Phase 2-level restrictions. That’s the one caveat in the back of everyone’s mind. The city has made a lot of progress since March, but social distancing practices are keeping a resurgence in outbreaks at bay. As restaurants and bars continue to open and people become more comfortable with going out again, the only way things will go back to normal is if everyone continues to abide by the safety precautions with which everyone has become very familiar: hand washing, mask wearing, and social distancing.

At UrbanMatter, U Matter. And we think this matters.

Tell us what you think matters in your neighborhood and what we should write about next in the comments below!

Featured Image Credit: Furious Spoon